On one magical Christmas Eve, Victoria, a lonely young girl, discovers Ludus: a world beyond her wildest dreams – a world inhabited by living toys.
As she journeys through Ludus, she finds herself embarking on a magical adventure with the Toys she once had as a child. But she soon learns that not all of her old friends are pleased to see her.
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| Millie Robins in rehearsals. Photo by Martin at Origin 8 |
This enchanting new musical is from the visionary mind of musical maestro Phil Edwards (Miss Saigon, Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever), and lyricist Ben Dermer. Brought to you by West End producers Paul Morrissey Ltd with the Pump House Trust in association with Harlequin Theatricals, it is a story of courage, friendship, and the extraordinary power of imagination.
Toys A New Musical will run at The Pump House Theatre for a limited five-week season from Wednesday 4th December until Tuesday 31st December 2024.
Taking in the role of Victoria is Millie Robins, ahead of the run we sat down with Millie to learn more.
What can you tell me about your role and how they fit into the story?
I play “Victoria Graham”- the story follows 15 year old Victoria on the evening of Christmas Eve. This marks a year since her mother has passed away and the story is about her reconnecting to her childhood toys in their world of “Ludus”. As a consequence, she is beginning to process her grief.
What attracted you to this project?
The prospect of being involved in creating an original musical is what attracted me to “Toys”: being able to flex my creative muscles through collaboration is something that I have always wanted to do!
How do you mentally and physically prepare for a performance?
For me, it’s all about the practicalities: sleep, silence, hydration and more sleep! I cannot be more thankful to my inner circle for being so understanding and letting me essentially be a robot whilst performing in order to stay well (especially during the freezing winter season!).
How exciting has it been to create a new musical and character?
It has been beyond exciting! I have never been involved in a new project before, so the entire process is such a thrill for me. It has also been great being able to sink my teeth into a character who I have grown to care really deeply for.
At what moment do you know that you've found the character?
I found a connection with Victoria during the final round of auditions: I had to sing a song which touches on her personal struggle with grief and this is something that I relate to intensely.
What are your favourite Christmas traditions?
As much as I adore a cheeky chocolate every morning with the tradition of advent calendars, my favourite Christmas tradition is having the excuse to spend an entire day with my family and eating my Mum’s epic roast potatoes! Family is everything to me.
When did you know that you wanted to perform?
I gained my passion of performing when I was 10 years old: I was a very restless kid, so my parents sent me to a Saturday school in North London called ‘Centre Stage’- I fell in love with performing from the very instant I joined there as it is such a special space full of such incredible and inspiring people.
What keeps you inspired creatively?
This varies every day! Some days it could be creative things such as music, TV, film, specific actors. Other days, it could be non-creative things such as friends or what’s going on in the world. I’m late to the party, but I recently watched the film “Parasite” and that has quite frankly blown my mind!
What do you hope an audience member takes away from seeing the show?
Carry on. Life can be tough, but carry on.
Toys: A New Musical runs at The Pump House Theatre in Watford from Wednesday 4th December until Tuesday 31st December 2024. Tickets are available from https://pumphousewatford.co.uk/events/toys-the-musical/
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| The cast in rehearsals. Photo by Martin at Origin 8 |
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